Chargers vs. Broncos: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More

AFC West teams trending in opposite directions collide on a short turnaround on the Week 8 edition of Thursday Night Football when the Denver Broncos host the San Diego Chargers. 

The hosts are the hottest team in the NFL at the moment. Winners of three straight, the latest a 42-17 thumping of San Francisco, Peyton Manning surpassed Brett Favre for the all-time touchdown record thanks to No. 509. His defense continues to be an unexpected strong point, too.

Philip Rivers has quietly been one of the NFL's best players this season, but his Chargers dropped a three-point decision to the .500 Kansas City Chiefs mere days ago, and his defense continues to be plagued by injury.

On a short week with a pair of prolific players under center, defenses should be scrambling to catch up all night long with little time to prepare. As far as the Thursday slate goes this season, this may be as good as it gets.

Weight of the World

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

Knowing Manning, the legendary quarterback and surefire Hall of Famer has afforded himself little time to celebrate shattering the record, a touchdown pass that was just one of four to go along with 318 yards and just four misfires by the end of Sunday Night Football last week.

For the 38-year-old Manning, things have hit now-or-never time, as notes from journalist Tommy Tomlinson and Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post point out:

The next logical step is to overcome his team's biggest threat to a divisional crown, San Diego. With the lone blemish on the record being a six-point loss in Seattle back in Week 3, a defeat at the hands of the Chargers would derail any momentum gained as the team heads to Foxborough for an encounter with New England in Week 9. 

While not as dramatic, Rivers feels an inordinate amount of pressure, too.

His defense has played great, but San Diego is 5-2 and nipping at the heels of the Broncos because last year's Comeback Player of the Year is completing 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,961 yards and 17 touchdowns to three interceptions.

Rivers is not getting much help, either. His backfield is a group decimated by injury, hence why Branden Oliver and Donald Brown, the latter having injury issues of his own, are the team's two leading rushers. Last year's breakout rookie receiver, Keenan Allen, has just 354 yards and no touchdowns.

So while Manning gets the headlines Thursday, and rightfully so, it will be Rivers under more pressure than anyone. Not that he would complain, though, as the man who quietly made some history himself last weekend by moving into 25th place on the all-time passing yardage list surely likes to play the spoiler.

Recouping the Losses

Ben Margot/Associated Press

The best defense for either quarterback is simple—keep him on the sidelines.

For a reeling San Diego defense, that would be a welcome surprise Thursday. The unit picked a horrific time to suffer a setback, as a top-five pass defense and top-15 run defense allowed Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith to throw for 221 yards and a score and the Chiefs as a whole to rip off 154 yards and a score on the ground while holding the ball for 39 minutes.

That would be the best way to counter Rivers, a nugget Denver is surely aware of going into Thursday.

"When you win five in a row, losing stinks," Rivers said, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "We have to handle it right and get ready to go to Denver on Thursday night and not let this thing go to two in a row."

The problem now is twofold. For one, the Chargers defense may be a tad overrated thanks to an easy schedule starting in Week 3 that reads Buffalo, Jacksonville, New York Jets and Oakland. San Diego did beat Seattle in Week 2, but the Seahawks found room for 202 passing yards and a pair of scores and 108 yards and a score on the ground.

Even worse, injuries are now a major part of the equation. Last week, linebackers Manti Te’o and Jerry Attaochu and cornerback Jason Verrett were all inactive. Star and leader Melvin Ingram is on injured reserve with the designation to return. Defensive tackle Kwame Geathers is on injured reserve. Top corner Brandon Flowers left Sunday's game with a concussion.

Feel free to keep in mind that not only does the hobbled unit have to stop Manning and his wealth of weapons, but it must do so on the road.

When: Thursday, October 23, 8:25 p.m. ET

Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Watch: CBS, NFL Network

Betting Info: (via Odds Shark)

• Over/Under: 50.5
• Spread: Denver (-6.5)

Team Injury Reports

Injury info will be updated once released, via ESPN.com.

Prediction

USA TODAY Sports

Thursday games are fun because anything can happen. Young players do not have enough time to digest plans, and older players do not have enough time to allow their bodies to heal. Veteran coaching staffs usually win out in this situation.

But this week, two elite quarterbacks square off in what is an unpredictable encounter at best.

All of the above taken into account, it is difficult to go against Manning. The man has 11 touchdowns in his past three games alone, all of which came against respectable defenses. An injured San Diego defense is going to allow Manning to employ the same strategy Kansas City used to get a win last week—to much greater effect.

Rivers is in the midst of another magical season, but a crumpling roster around him is a tad too much to overcome against Manning.

Prediction: Broncos 34, Chargers 28

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).